Adjustable supporting bracket



Oct. 4, 1960 A. E. F. JOHNSON ETAL 2,954,957

ADJUSTABLE SUPPORTING BRACKET Filed may 9. 195e 5 g i i l i l E mm MSW United States Patent @hce 2,954,957 Patented Oct. 4, 1960 2,954,957 ADJUSTABLE SUPPORTING BRACKET Axel E. F. Johnson, cincinnati, ohio, and Harry K. De Witt, Wilmette, Ill., assignors to American Hospital Supply Corporation, Evanston, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed May 9, 1956, ser. No. 5813,696

l3"Claims. (Cl. 248-280) -This invention is concerned gener-ally with a lamp, and more particularly with a lamp mountable on a wall, and substantially universally adjustable.

It will be appreciated that lamps used in hospital rooms must be capable of considerable adjustment in order properly to be positioned when a bed spring is in lowered or in a raised position. `Ofter it is inconvenient to use a oor lamp, and for this reason a wall lamp is desirable. However, aiiixing a lamp base or support .to a wall inherently places many restrictions on positioning of the lamp head.

It is an object of this invention to provide a wall lamp particularly adapted for hospital use, and having improved adjustment features.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a wall lamp having an improved mounting base or bracket for attachment to a wall.

VIt is a further object of this invention to provide a wall lamp having improved mechanism for substantially universal adjustment thereof.

`Other and furtherV objects and advantages of the present' invention vvi-ll be understood from the following descn'ption when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, whereinv Fig. l is a perspective View of a lamp constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View through the 'lamp and base as taken substantially along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional View through a part of the `'adjusting mechanismV as taken along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and i f f j `LFig. 4is a horizontal sectional view through the base or mounting bracket as taken substantially along the line 4-4 in Fig. 2.

Referring now in greater particularity to the drawings, there will be seen a lamp generally designated by the numeral 10. The lamp includes a lamp head 12, an arm 14, a base or bracket 16 for mounting on the wall, and a vertical adjusting structure 18.

The base or bracket 16 is of channel shape, comprising a pair of side flanges 20 adapted to be mounted perpendicular to a wall, and an interconnecting web or wall 22. Right angularly disposed edge anges 24 are formed integral with the side anges 20, yand holes 26 are provided inthese edge flanges adjacent the corners thereof for receipt of screws 28 or other suitable fasteners for aflixing the bracket to the wall.

A clamp 30 is provided on the back of the web 22 and comprises a plate 32 secured adjacent one edge to vthe web by means such as welding 34. The plate 32 is provided more or less along its vertical center line with a V-shaped channel 36, and adjacent the opposite edge of the plate 32 there is provided a threaded female fastener 38 threadedly cooperating with a stud 40 having a knurled knob 42 thereon. A vertical stud or rod 44 is mounted between the triangular channel 36 and the web 22. When the stud 40 is tightened by means of the knurled knob 42, the stud 44 is tightly clamped in place. When the stud 40 is loosened by the knurled knob 42, the rod 44 can be rotated more or less freely, and can even be moved up and down.

A bracket 46 is secured at the upper end of the stud or shaft 44, and comprises a part of the vertical adjusting means 18. This bracket is secured by means such as peening over the upper end of the stud or shaft 44 as at 48, this upper end preferably being reduced to provide a shoulder against which the bracket seats. The bracket includes a generally horizontal web 50 having upstanding anges 52 on the opposite sides thereof. 5A stop 54 depends from the rear edge of the web 50 and limits rotation of the stud 44 and bracket 46 by engagement with the web 22 of the wall mounting bracket 16.

A stud 56 extends across the bracket 46, and is secured thereto by means such as having the reduced end thereof peened over as at 58. An ornamental cap nut 60 having a knurled linger grip thereon is threaded onto the opposite end of the stud 56. A depending tab 62 of an arm holding fixture or bracket 64 is held against one of the flanges 52 of the bracket 46 by means of a tubular housing 66 having a torsion spring 68 mounted therein. One end of the torsion spring is anchored in the tab 62 as at 70, while the opposite'end is anchored in the opposite flange 52 as at 72. Tightening or loosening of the cap nut 60 obviously will clamp the tab 62 in any desired position of adjustment, while the torsion spring 68 opposes the weight of the lamp head 12 and arm 14 carried by the bracket 64.

The arm 14 includes an outer tubular arm section 74 which is secured in the bracket 64 by means of a curled over clamping portion 76 thereof. An inner tubular arm portion '78 is telescopically movable Within the outer or first arm portion 74, and a conventional frictional clamping fixture 80 is fixed on the end ofthe outer tubular arm portion or section 74 in order to lock the two arm sections together in any desired position of adjustment.

The lamp head 12 includes a casting 82 afHXed on the end of the inner tubular arm section 78 by means such as screw threads as at 84. A mounting structure 86 including a tubular stud 88 having a conical surface 90 about the base thereof is suitably athxed tothe casting S2. A lamp socket 92 is xedly mounted on the end of the tubular stud 88 and carries a lamp bulb 94 in the usual manner. A counterbored cylindrical housing '96 surrounds the stud 8S and abuts the lamp socket 92, being open toward the base of the structure 86.

The lamp head 12 also includes a lamp `shade 98 rotatable with respect to the arm 78. The lamp shade 98 is of dished configuration, having a rolled rim 100 for rigidity, and having a central aperture 102 provided with a generally cylindrical fitting 104 in order to provide a spot of light. A bulb shield 106 is fixed relative to the shade, and reflects light through the aperture 102 and cylinder 104 to provide the spot. It will be appreciated that the other side or face of the lamp shade is open, and that a broad diifused light emanates from this side of the shade.

A mounting fixture 108 is suitably secured to the lamp shade and abuts, or substantially abuts, the casting 82 as at 110. The mounting xture 10S also includes an inwardly directed ange 112 having an internal conical surface 114 engaging the conical surface of the hollow stud or shaft 88. A helical spring 116 within the counterbore of the tube or cylinder 96 bears against the flange 112 to maintain the complementary conical surfaces 90 and 114 in frictional engagement, whereby the lamp head is frictionally held in any rotational position of adjustment.

An on-oi switch 118 is mounted in the casting 82, and

Wires 120 lead therefrom to the lamp socket 92, and also Y through the arm 14 and out the back thereof as at 122. It will be understood that the wire or wires 122 are conventionally supplied with a male plug for association with Aany suitable Wall socket or the like.

lIt i'w should be apparent that the lamp as herein shown and described, is convenientto use, and is capable of practically iniinite Variation in position. The lamp shade can be rotated to give a broad, diiused light, or -to give a s'plotli'ght effect. The switch for the lamp is located adjacent the light source and hence is in a convenient and accessible position for anyone, such as a patient in a hospital bed, to turn on or oi. The friction lf'ck 80 allows the supporting arm to be extended or shortened as may be necessary. The vertical adjustment '1S is of simple, yet rugged construction, allowing pivotal movement ina vertical plane to vary the height of the lamphead over substantial limits` The clamping struct'llfe 3'0 similarly allows horizontal adjustment over wide lii'nits, and both of the last mentioned parts aiord a irm locking of the lamp in adjusted position. In connection With the clamping plate 30, it will be observed that the triangular channel 36 provides toward its apex a cross section which is less than that of the stud 44 and hence a wedging force is imposed on the stud.

Various changes in structure will no doubt occur to those skilled in the art, and will be understood as forming `a part of this invention in so far as they fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

l. As adjustable supporting bracket comprising an arm, a bracket at Aone end of said arm including a tab extending transversely of said yarm, a support bracket including a web and a pair of upstanding ilanges, a stud extending between said fla'nges, said tab having an .aperture and being mounted over said stud against one of said anges, a tor'sionspring acting between said tab and the other of said `ilanges, a spring housing comprising a cylinder positioned between the tab and said other of said anges, nut means on said stud for clamping said tab between the adjacent ange and the spring housing forv frictionally locking the arm in a desired vertically pivoted position, a stud extending from said web, and a wall bracket of vchannel shape having a web and a pair of anges, said fpair of ilanges having outwardly directed sections adapted for attachment to a Wall or the like, the web of said wall bracket having a clamping plate thereon, said clamping plate having a triangular channel therein and the last mentioned stud being clamped against the bracket web by said clamping plate, and a threaded stud for effecting -such clamping for securingthe arm in any desired horizontally pivoted position.

2. An adjustable supporting bracket comprising an arm, a bracket at one end of said arm including a tab extending transversely of said arm, a support bracket including a web and a pair of upstanding flanges, a stud extending between said iianges, said tab having an aperture and being mounted over said stud ,against one of said flanges, a torsion spring encircling said stud and acting between said tab and the `other of said flanges, a spring housing comprising a cylinder positioned between the tab and the said other of said flanges, nut means on said stud fory clamping said tao between the adjacent-flange and the spring housing for trictionally locking the arm` in a desired vertically-pivoted position, a stud extending from said web, and a base receiving said stud.

3. An adjustable supporting bracket including a mounting base in the fornv of a channel having a web and flanges provided with outwardly directed sections for receiving fastening members to secure` the channel against a supporting sur-face, an elongated stud positioned against said web within said channel and extending over a substantial portion of the vertical height of said web, an elongated clamping member mounted adjacent to said web and having a channel therein with converging side walls spaced at one portion less than the diameter of said stud, means for urging said clamping member towards said web wedgingly to clamp said stud against saidfwall and within said channel for securing said stud in-pivotally adjusted position, an arm and means supporting said arm from said stud. Y

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 501,392 Wiedenmann .Tuly 11, 1893 1,357,295 McNaughton lNov. 2, 1920 1,370,231 Smith et al. Mar. 1, 1921 1,549,291 Broman Ang. 11, 1925 1,864,756 Pieper June 28, 1932 2,052,488 Pierce Aug. 25, 1936 2,151,877 Walker Mar. 28, 1939 2,240,651 Howell May 6, 19,41 2,289,105 Doane July 7, 1942 `2,358,844 Woodward Sept. 26, 1944 2,447,228 1 v Boston Aug. 17, 1948 2,731,237 Anderson Ian. 17, 1,956 2,745,949 Borin May15, 1956 FOREIGNV PATENTS 6,884 Great Britain June 22, 1901 145,256 Great Britain July 2, 1920 1,078,203 France AMay 5 1954 

